Zac Efron took a stroll through the Destiny set. No kidding. While meeting Ming-Na and Elyse Levesque yesterday, he apparently mentioned he was a Stargate fan and expressed an interest in taking a little tour of Stage 4. Of course the production was more than happy to oblige. By all accounts, he really liked what he saw – so much so that he requested a screener of the SGU premiere. I’m sure that can be arranged as well. I’ll admit that I’m not familiar with his work, but from I’ve heard about the guy from those who have met him – and, more importantly, have or are working with him – he’s very professional, incredibly focused, grounded, courteous and kind. And, as I’ve often said, as someone who works in the industry, I know enough to put a hell of a lot more stock in the firsthand opinion of a hair and make-up person than an infinite number of polished t.v. interviews, magazine blurbs, or supermarket tabloids. Anyway, nice to hear.
Okay, you know what’s really annoying? Besides the smiley faces you guys put in your posts that make cutting and pasting your comments all sorts of trouble? People who park nose to bumper, right up behind you. Today, I was at local cheese shop Les Amis du Fromage, checking out the selection (I highly recommend Le Regal de Bourgogne that comes studded with raisins, which I remove. I find them overpowering but they leave a lovely lingering sweetness). I returned to my spot to discover someone had parked right up behind me. Even more annoying – there was a half car length of space behind THEIR car. I hopped in and put it in reverse. My back-up sensor alerts me to the proximity of anything behind me, emitting a staccato beep-beep-beep with increasing frequency as I draw closer. In this case, there was no staccato delivery, just one long sustained beeeeeep to indicate something was flush up against my bumper. I was boxed in. Well, I had no choice. I threw a look to the patio across the street where a bunch of guys were sipping coffee, watching, and muttering amongst themselves – and tapped the gas, eliciting a satisfying crunch. Their conversation grew a little more animated. I waited, hoping one of them would stroll on over for a chat. Alas, no go. I pulled out of my spot and motored off. Odd. I figured that anyone with that kind of parking etiquette was either looking for a confrontation or a complete idiot and/or a jerk.
WTF? I just got a call from the assistant to the guy who sold me some dress shirts last weekend, wanting to know how I was enjoying the shirts. I assured him I was enjoying them as much as could be expecting in a non-fetishistic manner. He seemed pleased to hear it, offered to assist me in any future shirtly endeavors, then wished me a good day and hung up. Really. Is this a sign of how bad it’s gotten for retail? Sales associate (or in this case associates of the associate) now feel compelled to follow up on the most mundane of purchases in their bid for return business. To be honest, I always found it a little odd when restaurants did it, but this is downright bizarre. I mean, what’s next?
RING! RING!
Hello?
Hi, this is Jerome at Home Depot. Just wondering how those floor mats you bought last week are working out for you?
Oh, uh, fine. Fine.
Keeping your carpets clean and the like?
Yep. Pretty clean.
Great to hear. Great to hear. Hey, we’re having a sale on AAAA batteries…
RING! RING!
Hello?
Hi, this is Troy from Piggly Wiggly. I was just calling to find out how you liked those green onions you bought yesterday.
They were good.
Un huh. Did you use them in a salad?
Actually, no, I used them in the omelet I had for breakfast this morning.
Oh, I bet that was tasty.
Uh, yeah. Listen, I’d love to chat but I’m expecting a call from my wife. I think she’s about to go into labor…
RING! RING!
Hello?
Hey there. Chad from Walgreens. Just following up to see how you’re enjoying your condoms.
Excuse me?
You bought some condoms a couple of weeks ago. Everything alright with them? Was there a problem?
No. I just haven’t used them yet.
I see, I see. What about the suppositories? Have you used them yet?
Those were for my mother.
Oh. Can I have her number?
Well, off to dinner with Ivon tonight. And Brian J. Smith if he gets back to Ivon. So that means pics of Ivon’s Cornish game hen in tomorrow‘s entry!
Mailbag:
Juralas writes: “Also, is there a way to sign up so that my comments don’t have to be moderated every time I post?”
Answer: Nope, sorry. All comments are moderated.
DasNdanger writes: “Second, Joe, that’s fanboy talk! They’re comic books…if you can buy into one character shooting beams out of his eyes, another turning into a human torch, and yet another popping metal claws out of his knuckles, you can certainly buy into the whole ageless thing.”
Answer: Oh, I certainly buy into it. I’m just saying it’s kind of pointless to make a big deal of the suffering of someone who is doomed to watch his friends and family age while he remains unchanged – when his friends and family haven’t aged in the 35 years I’ve been reading comics.
Liz writes: “Meanwhile, nobody is ready to step up and acknowledge the anger and the hurt about Atlantis being cancelled. All we hear is universe this, universe that.”
Answer: With all due respect, you’ve adopted a fairly narrow viewpoint, dismissing the disappointment of many involved in the Atlantis production (as expressed in this blog) in favor of fixating on perceived sleights. I’ve often said that it was a mistake to announce the SGU pick-up in the same press release as the Atlantis cancellation as, unfairly or not, it gave the impression that one was replacing the other. I understand the thinking behind it – the assumption that the bad news would be tempered by good news – but, understandably, it’s hard to get excited about a new show when you’ve just been dropped the bombshell that a show you love has been canceled. Furthermore, you hear “universe this” and “universe that” because that is what we are presently working on.
duneknight writes: “ joe, do you like canada’s healthcare system? coz a friend just told me its terrible, something about waiting too much and it was gonna take forever to pass through all the bureaucracy.”
Answer: Quite frankly, there are pros and cons to any of the healthcare systems out there. In the case of the Canadian system – yes, there’s universal coverage which is great, but the bureaucracy that one has to deal with can be incredibly frustrating. Take my mother for instance. She’s been waiting months for a knee operation. Finally, she was contacted and informed the surgery is scheduled for late September – only not at the more convenient hospital of her choice. Also, even though they have given her a date for the surgery, it’s not unheard of for surgeries to be rescheduled, particularly at the last minute.
Majorsal writes: “how much is sam in the premier of ’sgu’, minutes wise?”
Answer: Sadly, I lost the spreadsheet program that allows me to track the exact onscreen time count of every character. I also seemed to have misplaced my archived records of the exact letter count in every word of dialogue spoken by each character. Which I guess means I’m going to have to count on the fans to do it. And I know they willJ
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